


Four O'Clock

by hunters_retreat



Series: The Clock Verse [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean goes with Sam to Stanford, M/M, Stanford Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-05
Updated: 2009-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 07:16:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9224603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: Sam's study group isn't complete without Dean.  Sam isn't the only one who thinks so.





	

 

 

Sam sat at the coffee table staring at his notes and trying really hard not to keep glancing down the hallway towards his brother’s closed door. The others were mostly being quiet and Sam wondered if anyone else felt as content as he did in that moment, surrounded by the people he’d come to call friends, in the place he and Dean called home. The only thing that would make it better would be if Dean came out and joined them.

They were studying, individually. It had become their thing this quarter. Every Saturday everyone who could got together at a different house. This was the first time it was Sam and Dean’s place. Everyone decided when they arrived it would continue to be there because it was pretty clean and Sam and Dean kept it nice, but mostly because Dean made snacks. Everyone assumed they’d gone out and bought them and Sam could tell from Dean’s expression that he was fine with that assumption. He could also see how thrilled Dean was from their reaction and it helped fuel his determination to see his brother pass his GED and get into this school he mentioned.

Dean was in his room, had ducked in there after everyone settled in for studying and the only time they even knew he was there was when he heard the soft click of the bathroom door closing.

He hoped Dean would at least come with them when they were done though. The rest of the tradition was that once they were studying they went out and found someplace to eat and drank themselves silly. Dean had been studying pretty hard himself lately and he deserved the same break they did.

“You two get in a fight?”

He looked over at Jess, a confused look on his face. “No, why?”

She shrugged. “You keep staring at his door. At this rate you’re not going to get anything done.” He knew she was right. He’d been staring at the same page for the last fifteen minutes. “Just go tell him to come out and read or something. So long as he does it quietly, no one will care.”

“Dean just… he doesn’t think he belongs out here.”

She bumped shoulders with him. “So then tell him he’s wrong.” Sam looked up as Richie nodded too and knew that they were right. Dean had issues and sometimes Sam forgot that just because Dean thought something of himself didn’t mean that others would too. He was just so used to defending Dean and his right to be there that sometimes he forgot that he shouldn’t have to fight it.

He got up and knocked on his brother’s door lightly. He heard his brother’s voice and opened the door, closing it softly behind him. “Hey.” He said, smiling as he found Dean at the desk in his room.

“Hey Sammy. Shouldn’t you be studying or something?” Dean asked as he turned to face Sam.

Sam took a seat on Dean’s bed and lay back, crossing his arms under his head so he could still see his brother. “Study break.” Sam said.

Dean smiled then stood up. He knocked his knee against Sam’s when he moved over to the bed. “Scoot.” Sam did and Dean lay down beside him. “Need a break too.”

“You’ve been studying all this time?”

“Well, yeah. What did you think I was doing?”

“I didn’t really think about it, but I’m sure it would have involved more porn than that.” Sam said with a grin.

Dean laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“So, why are you in here?”

“Because it’s my bedroom?”

“No.” Sam said, turning and propping his head up on one elbow to look down at his brother. “I mean, if you’re studying why aren’t you out there with us?”

“It’s not the same thing Sam.”

“Yes it is.” He said, seeing the doubt in Dean’s face. “We’re all studying something different.”

“You’re in college man. It’s…”

“No Dean it’s not.” He said, cutting off the words he knew his brother was going to say. “In fact, I think what you’re trying to do is a lot harder. Come on. Do you really wanna stay locked up in here when you could be hanging with us? Besides, Jess was asking about you and so was Richie.”

“Jess. Really?” Dean asked and Sam smacked him on the shoulder.

“Dean, I swear if you-”

“Seriously Sam. That girl is far too much like me for that. I don’t think I could handle it.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, she is pretty girly, but you can totally out cook her Dean.” He teased.

Dean pushed him back against the bed and the wrestling began. Dean felt them starting to fall off the bed and pulled Sam closer, controlling the fall so that he’d take the brunt of it. Sam looked up with big eyes and worried that he’d hurt Dean on impact. Dean took advantage of the moment and started tickling Sam as he turned him over and pinned him beneath him.

“Dean let me up!” Sam demanded, but his voice was filled with laughter.

“Take it back!”

“OK! Jess can cook better than you!”

Dean straddled Sam’s hips and held him down as he went for the ticklish spot in his ribs. Sam was bucking underneath him and both were laughing but it wasn’t until the door thudded open that they stopped.

Sam tilted his head back to see behind him and saw his friends in the doorway. Jessica’s smile was brilliant as she looked at the two. “So, you two done with the horseplay so we can finish studying?” She asked.

“Shit. Sorry.” Dean said, getting up immediately.

Sam laughed as he took the offered hand up and let Dean pull him. Richie pushed past them both to see what was on Dean’s desk. Sam wasn’t sure what the others would say, what Dean would say, but he took a step back deciding he had to stop trying to make Dean feel like he could fit in. He realized that with this group of friends, Dean already did.

“What’s all this man?” He asked as he closed the book, keeping the place inside marked. “GED?”

Dean looked back at Sam and he seemed ready to panic but Sam just nodded for him to deal with it. “Come on guys, I’ll get some more drinks.” He said, pulling the rest of his friends back to the books.

When Richie came out a few minutes later he was alone. “You didn’t tell us Dean was studying for the GED.” It was a small censure but Sam was willing to take it.

“It’s Dean’s thing. I had to talk him into it in the first place. Not sure he wanted anyone to know.”

“It’s cool man. I mean, not a lot of people have the guts to do something like that.”

Sam smiled and he knew it was a goofy grin but he couldn’t help it. “There’s not a person in the world as brave as Dean.” He said without hesitation. He thought back on the hunts his brother had faced, thought of the night he’d walked out on their Dad to bring Sam to Stanford, the way he’d changed his life on the spur of the moment. Dean was the by far braver than anyone would ever know.

Jess gave him a look that was full of ‘awwwww’ and he just shook his head. When she shifted away from him though, taking her books and notes with him he looked confused. A second later though a book dropped onto the coffee table beside him and he looked up to see Dean there. “Um… mind if I sit here?” He asked, like it wasn’t his table or anything.

Sam smiled at his brother and patted the floor beside him. “Jess was apparently keeping it warm for you.” He said, throwing a teasing look her way. She just grinned back.

“Thanks. I uh…”

He could see the problem and he didn’t want to make this any harder on Dean that it already was so he cut him off before he had to ask for help. “Let’s see what you’re working on.”

 

 

An hour later Dean leaned over, speaking softly in Sam’s ear. “You guys normally break for food soon?” He asked. When Sam nodded Dean continued. “You want me to fix something here? Save your money for the bar?”

Sam bit his lower lip as he looked up at Dean. There was something about Dean doing this… Dean offering to cook dinner for him and his friends… Dean looked concerned at Sam’s reaction but Sam just shook his head. “That’d be great.” He said softly. “Thank you.”

“Nothing fancy, but I’m sure I can figure something out.”

When Dean got up and went into the kitchen Richie watched, as if making sure Dean wasn’t leaving the group all together. Sam smiled at him to reassure him, but then a few minutes later Richie followed Dean into the kitchen. It wasn’t until Dean called out that food was up that the others realized what he’d been doing.

Richie came in bearing a plate full of burgers and a bowl of fries. Dean followed with onion rings and then headed back with beer for everyone. “You didn’t tell us Dean could cook.” Jess said as she looked at the spread.

Sam laughed. “You didn’t think I made all the snacks you attacked earlier did you?”

“No, I thought you bought them at the store.”

Sam smiled. “Nope. Dean said we needed something to juice us up before we got started.” It was something he remembered fondly from growing up. On the weekends when their Dad would be gone, Dean would let Sam slack off on the training and he’d help him study. Which normally just meant Dean would do something quiet like cleaning guns and knives at the table with him and then he’d keep him supplied in food and drink until the point came when Sam was glossy eyed from too much information. Then Dean would make him get up and watch TV, or they’d run around the block together or spar. When they got back Dean would sit back and put on some sport of sports on the TV and put it on mute and Sam would sit on the couch next to him, reviewing.

Sam was just biting into one of the burgers when Dean sat down beside him. He realized in surprise that the burger had cheese melted in the middle and groaned as he swallowed. “Jesus Dean, these are awesome.”

Dean’s smile was pleased and there wasn’t a person at the table that wasn’t agreeing with Sam. Jess shook her head as she grabbed for the basket of onion rings. “Sam, I swear if you don’t move to a friendly state and gay marry this man I’m gonna take him away from you.”

Sam spit beer across his books and Dean nearly dropped his. “Smooth Sammy.” He said, wiping at the front of his book with a napkin. They knew what people assumed, but it was the first time anyone had outright said something about Sam and Dean being a couple. He didn’t know how to address it but everyone was eating again and it was only Richie that seemed to think Sam’s reaction was all that funny.

 

Instead of heading out to the bar after, Sam and Jess took off to the store and came back with movies and enough alcohol that it took two trips to carry it all in. There were only the eight of them and from previous experiences he knew that only Jess and Richie would stay past the first movie. He didn’t mind too much, but he felt annoyed when they came back and his usual spot on the couch next to Dean was taken by his friend.

Dean started to get up to help with the alcohol, but Richie put his hand on Dean’s thigh, patting it to keep him in place. “Nah, they got it man. We cooked dinner, they can handle the drinks.”

“We cooked dinner?” Dean asked with a cocky smile as he settled back down next to Richie.

“I supervised?”

“You watched.”

Richie shrugged and his eyes met briefly with Sam’s before he smiled at Dean. “At least I was in the same room with you.”

“Nice try. You were just trying to get out of all that studying.” Dean said as Sam came into the room, a beer in hand for them. “Thanks man.”

Sam’s smile was tight and he knew it, but he turned away from Dean before his brother could notice. He grabbed the movies and put one in the DVD player, then turned the lights down, leaving the hallway light on for their friends to find their way to the bathroom. He settled on the floor be Dean’s feet, taking along pull of his beer to loosen up the tight feeling in his chest.

“Hey.” Dean leaned forward and Sam found himself looking up into Dean’s brilliant green eyes. “Switch?” He asked softly.

Sam smiled as he nodded, feeling more like himself again. They both stood up and Sam took Dean’s spot at the couch, smiling at Richie who suddenly felt the need to scoot over and give Sam more space.

Dean sat on the floor where Sam had been, letting his back rest on the couch. Sam pulled one knee up and Dean let his head fall back. It rested perfectly there and Sam felt himself relax slightly. He’d been this way as a child and never found a way out of it. It was one of the few comforts their Dad hadn’t taken away, just kicking back and watching a movie together. John never bitched about the small amount of contact that this position gave them.

Of course, Sam always waited until John was out of the room to let his fingers drift into Dean’s hair, letting his fingers curl into his scalp but since John wasn’t there anymore he’d stopped feeling the need to curtail the small comfort. He leaned into the arm of the chair slightly and let his hand fall. When his fingers brushed the back of Dean’s neck he felt his brother relax finally.

The movie started up and Sam settled in, grateful that he’d seen this one already because between Jessica’s simpering smile, Richie’s evaluating glances, and Dean’s contented sighs, Sam didn’t think he’d remember a damn thing.

 

 

 

 


End file.
